Dual process impairments in reinforcement learning and working memory systems underlie learning deficits in...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Computational Psychiatry
• Affective Neuroscience

Background:

• Anxiety is linked to executive function deficits, including working memory (WM) and attention.
• While anxiety impacts learning, reinforcement learning (RL) studies in anxiety show mixed results.
• WM influences learning and modulates RL, but is often omitted in anxiety-RL research.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how physiological and cognitive anxiety affect learning and retention.
• Determine if anxiety impacts performance through RL or WM deficits.
• Model interactive RL and WM processes to understand anxiety's learning impairments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a reinforcement learning and working memory (RLWM) task with varying set sizes.
• Employed a computational model integrating RL and WM processes.
• Assessed individual differences in physiological and cognitive anxiety.

Main Results:

• Elevated physiological anxiety correlated with poorer learning and retention across set sizes.
• Higher physiological anxiety linked to reduced RL learning rates and increased WM decay.
• RL-only models misattributed anxiety-related learning deficits to noise, underscoring WM's role.

Conclusions:

• Anxiety, particularly physiological anxiety, impairs learning through dual RL and WM deficits.
• Working memory modeling is crucial for accurately assessing RL impairments in psychopathology.
• Findings suggest a physiological anxiety phenotype linked to distinct learning impairments.